Clearance

New

Sports Cool Vest, orange, with nontoxic cooling packs

Whether you're racing against others or simply yourself, there’s always a finish line to cross. And by staying cool, you can ensure that path is more comfortable. The Sports Cool Vest helps regulate body temperature and fits tight thanks to a heavy duty front zipper, dual side straps and over-the-shoulder adjustability.

NEW IN JULY 2018: For added comfort, the eight cooling packs included with this vest feature horizontal cells that conform to your torso as you bend and stretch. The redesigned packs come in two sizes: 10.3 ounces and 7 ounces. For maximum cooling, insert a large and a small cooling pack into each inside pocket of your vest. For less demanding conditions, such as office use, you may lighten the vest by using a single large pack in each pocket.

Physical activity raises your body temperature and can cause you to overheat, which can be detrimental when engaged in physical activities such as cycling or running. But strapping on a Sports Cool Vest will provide cooling comfort from the start to the finish line. And even if you don’t wear it during physical activity, doing so afterward can speed the cool down process by restoring your core temperature.

The Sports Cool Vest is outfitted with a heavy duty front zipper, dual side elastic straps and over-the-shoulder adjustability for maximum hold that will fit a wide range of body sizes. And since it’s bound to get sweaty and dirty, it can also be conveniently cleaned in the laundry along with your regular clothing.

Includes one set of eight high-performance cooling packs (four large, four small)

Outstanding!

I have owned my black Flex Vest for a couple of years now and recently the sport vest in high visibility orange. I love them both for different reasons.

Working on appliances in Texas can be quite hot. Our summers will routinely reach 100’F+ and even at night often never drops below 80’F even at night. Couple this with high humidity and it’s down right miserable. Entering and exiting cooler vehicles and buildings in to much higher temperatures outside takes a toll on your body.

This is where my Glacier Tek vests really shine.

Having dealt with heat exhaustion in the past, I am now more susceptible to it and must use great caution when working outdoors. Being able to maintain a more constant temperature throughout the day has been a lifesaver for me.

Both vests are tight fitting in order to hold the cooling packs near your body to better pull heat away from you. I find that my black vest looks slightly more professional if worn over your shirt. It could certainly be branded with a company logo and be really sharp looking for a work crew or service technicians. I also routinely wear either vest under a breathable polo shirt with minimal printing.

I got the high visibility orange vest for hunting, but could definitely see this as useful for road work crews, construction, motorcycle/bikers, or any other profession where safety is a high concern.
The flex vest is made of a stretchy spandex type material which conforms to my body well. It is very comfy. However, for overall comfort, I’d give the sport vest the leg up.

It sits a little higher in your chest, has Velcro adjustable shoulder straps and rib cage adjustments. The rib cage also has high quality elastic and super large Velcro to hold your desired size in place. The material of the vest itself is a double layer nylon with a light batting between the layers. It seems to breath well and has not snagged on anything even around sharp edged appliances. The adjustable shoulder straps seem to help with transferring some of the packs weight to your shoulders evenly helping it in the comfort category.

The fact that it sits higher in your chest lets your trunk move a little more freely, coupled with the fact that the cooling packs have are designed in such a way that it allows you to bend over and they bend with you.

This is probably my favorite feature of this vest as compared to my first one. The flex vest holds 12 of the 5.5"x5.5" packs. This is fairly heavy in weight, but the square packs do not allow for being able to bend as easily. I find myself never wearing the full 12 packs to limit the weight and allow for better flexibility. For someone sitting, standing or walking, it may not be as much of an issue. For someone stooping, laying on the ground, crawling through attics, the larger heavier packs are something to keep in mind.

The sport vest on the other hand has four pockets. Two in the back and one on each side of your chest. They’re four vertical pockets measuring about 12.5in x 6in. They can hold horizontal cell packs which is a group of x4 packs (5" x 2.5:). I simply love this design. It is much nicer when it comes time to bend over or for sitting in your car for a length of time. Also offered are a 3 cell design (slightly shorter in height) which is a nice option when I care to have a lighter vest with slightly decreased cooling time.

These packs recharge either in ice water or simply in your refrigerator or freezer section.
The sport vest also has the ability to hold the booster packs which are green in color and require to be put in the freezer to recharge. The purpose of them is to extend the time your normal cooling packs stay solid. This really works well, but again the weight is an issue for what I use them for as well as access to a freezer is tough through-out my day so usually the horizontal packs are what I opt for. But if I worked somewhere with access to spare packs throughout the day, it would be a time saver by lengthening the cooling time between swapping packs.

It never ceases to amaze me how well these packs work. I will wear the vest for hours, pull a pack out of the vest and still have partial ‘ice’ still in the pack. Unlike a standard ice pack from the freezer, it will turn to water very quickly. Glacier Tek packs on the other hand stay in their solid ‘ice’ form much longer because their melting point is closer to mid-50’sF vs 32’F. One would think colder is better when working in the heat, but in fact the slightly warmer temperature isn’t nearly as shocking to your system as an ice cold vest would be and the main purpose of the vest is to help you maintain a more comfortable temperature over a period of time and to prevent overheating. The packs do not put off any noticeable condensation and even when fully liquid after use, the vest still helps keep you cooler. The set up just works.

I’ve dealt with Glacier Tek support when I had some questions about which packs would work best for my needs and vests and they were extremely knowledgeable and helpful with respect to this.
I honestly can recommend either of these vests, and am quite thrilled with both. I am sure you would be too!